


In the Emergency Room

by Joe_Reaves



Series: Making It Real [6]
Category: Empire Records (1995), Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Angst, Crossover, M/M, moresome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-14
Updated: 2010-04-14
Packaged: 2017-10-08 22:56:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/80355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joe_Reaves/pseuds/Joe_Reaves
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Olivia finds out about Joe and Warren and everyone waits for news.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the Emergency Room

Joe let the phone slip from nerveless fingers and it ended up back in the cradle by pure chance. He grabbed his jacket and frantically searched through his pockets for his cell phone and his car keys.

"Warren," he shouted as he ran through the store. "AJ, you have to close and you'll need to open tomorrow or get someone else to do it. I'm leaving you in charge."

"What's up?" Warren asked, coming down from the roof where he'd been studying. "Joe?" he asked sharply when he took in the expression on his face. "What's wrong?"

"One of Elliot's colleagues called," Joe said shakily. "He's been shot. We have to get there fast."

Warren grabbed for one of the racks of CDs to hold himself up. "He's going to be OK though, right Joe?"

"I don't know," Joe admitted. "Detective Munch said it was bad."

"Oh God," Warren said. "He can't die, he just can't."

Joe hugged him tightly and kissed his hair. "Come on, we have to go."

The journey to the hospital was quiet, both of them lost in their own thoughts and fears. They emerged from the quiet of the car, haphazardly parked as Joe had swerved into the first available space, into barely organized chaos with people shouting, lights flashing, and doctors and nurses efficiently not-quite-rushing around the emergency room.

Joe took Warren's hand and pulled him up to the front desk. "We're looking for Detective Stabler," he said hurriedly. "I'm his partner. I was called to say he'd been shot."

"Partner?" the nurse queried, clicking away at her keyboard to locate the detective.

"Domestic partner," Joe clarified.

"He's in surgery now," she told them. "If you want to take a seat in the waiting room over there I'll have a doctor come and talk to you. I think the people who came in with him are already there."

Joe nodded. "Thank you, nurse," he said. Warren was already moving towards the room, tugging Joe after him.

He opened the door and saw Kathy and the children sitting on the far side, holding onto each other. Pacing the room were several people Joe didn't know but he assumed were detectives. An older man with blood on his shirt looked up and their eyes met.

"Detective Munch?" he asked.

He nodded. "You must be Joe. He's in surgery. They won't tell us anything until it's over."

Warren immediately crossed the room to hug Elizabeth and squeeze Dickie's shoulder. Joe crouched down in front of Kathy.

"How are you holding up?" he asked. He liked Elliot's ex-wife. It wasn't her fault their marriage hadn't worked and she'd been very kind to both him and Warren when Elliot told her about them.

He spoke softly to her for a moment until their conversation was interrupted by Olivia's piercing question from behind them.

"Who the hell is he?" she asked Munch.

"Ah, well, Captain?" he said. "Do you want to take that one? I need to go and get some more coffee."

Before he could make his escape the door opened again and a doctor came in. "I'm looking for a Joe Reaves?" he said, checking his notes. "Can I speak to you for a moment?" He looked around at the crowd in the waiting room. "Maybe we can just step next door for a moment?"

Joe nodded. "Warren, Kathy, why don't you come too. Maureen, can you look after the twins until we get back?"

She forced a small smile and nodded. "You and mom go and talk with the doctor, Joe. We'll wait here."

"Why does he get to go?" Olivia hissed at Munch. "And who's the kid?"

Joe rested a hand on Kathy's back and took hold of Warren's hand again as they followed the doctor out. Someone would have to explain to the detective later but not right now. He had more important things to worry about.

As the door closed behind them Olivia asked again. "Who is he?"

Captain Cragen glared at Munch and cleared his throat. "Joe is Elliot's partner. He told me about him eighteen months ago when he needed to change his personnel file so that it listed him as medical power of attorney. I don't know who the kid is and I don't care. It's none of our business. If Elliot had wanted you to know, he'd have told you."

"He's gay now?" Olivia took a deep breath. "Why wouldn't he tell me, did he think I'd be upset? I'm not that narrow minded."

"Maybe he didn't tell you because he didn't want anyone knowing," Maureen snapped. "Gay cops have it hard."

Olivia folded her arms and leaned back against the wall. "I still think he could have said something. I don't gossip."

"Just let it go," Finn told her. "He couldn't know how you'd react. We all act differently when it's someone close to us instead of some theoretical example. Besides maybe it was me he was worried about finding out. When he wakes up you can ask him."

"I want to know what's happening," Olivia sighed. "I hate this waiting around."

The door opened again and Kathy came in, her face pale and her make up smudged. Joe and Warren were behind her. Joe's face was strained and he was holding Warren tightly against him. He cleared his throat, addressing the whole room, but looking at Munch and Cragen. They had been the calmest so far and he didn't think he could deal with too much fuss.

"Part of the bullet nicked a lung; they've had to repair that as well as the blood vessels where it went in. Other bits got into his blood stream and they had to hunt for them before they could reach his heart and cause any more damage," he said carefully. "The doctor thinks he'll recover, but it's going to take a long time. The bullet did a lot of damage and the surgery did even more. He might never be 100% again, but he's going to live."

Kathy was trying to hold all her children at once, crying softly in relief. Cragen took a deep breath and leaned against a wall. Outwardly Finn and Munch didn't react, neither of them liking to get emotional where too many people could see them. Olivia dropped her head to her hands and whispered a quick prayer of thanks.

"They're moving him to intensive care in a few minutes," Kathy said hoarsely. "He won't wake up for a couple of days. You might as well go home."

"What about you?" Cragen asked gently. "Are you staying?"

"The children and I will look in on him, but then we'll go home," she said decisively. "He's out of danger now and the hospital is no place for children. Joe will call me if anything changes. He and Warren are staying."

"Why don't you let me drive you home?" Cragen suggested. "You're in no state to drive and you must be exhausted by now."

"Can we see him as well?" Olivia asked.

"When he wakes up, Olivia," Kathy said tiredly. "They don't want to many people going in and out and just getting in the way."

"We won't get in the way," she insisted. "And the kid's staying so we should be able to."

Joe growled softly, only loud enough for Munch and Cragen to hear. They exchanged glances and both stepped back. They didn't want to get involved in this.

"Warren and I are staying because Elliot is our partner," he snapped. "When he wakes up you can come and visit him along with the rest of his friends, but until then it's family only."

Olivia gaped at him for a second. "Both of you?" She narrowed her eyes. "There is no way he's involved with two men, that's just not him. And the kid's younger than his daughter. No way in hell; this is not the Elliot I know."

"Shut up, Olivia," Kathy said sharply. "What Elliot chooses to do and who he does it with are not your business."

"You knew?" she asked, shocked. "He told you he was sc..." she cut herself off when she remembered the twins were in the room. "Involved with two different men? And you're not upset?"

"They're good for him," Maureen said softly. "And we all like Joe and Warren. Please stop it, Detective Benson. This isn't the time or place for a fight. Take it up with dad when he's better if you must."

Olivia stood up and shook her head. "This isn't like Elliot; something's going on and I'm going to find out what. I'll be back when he's awake so we can talk." She walked out of the room and Finn got up hurriedly.

"Look, I'm not saying I agree with her," he said. "It's none of our business what Elliot does, but it's freaky. I'm going to make sure she gets home OK."

Joe sighed as the door closed behind them and squeezed Warren tighter. He hadn't said a word since the doctor had made it clear how close they had been to losing Elliot.

"Well, that was fun," Cragen said tiredly. "Let me take you up to the room so you can see him and then I'll drive you home," he told Kathy. He looked at Joe. "I wish Elliot had warned me about this," he said. "I don't think I can handle this many shocks in one night."

Joe shrugged. "It's Elliot's decision who he tells. I don't suppose he really thought about what might happen if he got hurt."

"I think he found telling me about you embarrassing enough," Cragen admitted. "He beat around the bush for ten minutes before I told him to get to the point or get out because I was busy. Olivia will calm down, I hope. She should know Elliot doesn't like to talk about his private life by now."

Munch looked at his feet as Cragen escorted Kathy and the children from the room. "I know this isn't really an appropriate moment, but it's nice to meet you," he told Joe. "Both of you. He has a picture in his wallet and he looks happy. You have my cell number; can you call me when he wakes up? Olivia's going to be mad enough that he told me about you, even if he did only do it after he got shot, and I need to kick his ass for dropping me in the middle of this and not warning me there were two of you."

Warren pulled away from Joe a little and managed a small smile, a pale shadow of the grin he wore in the photograph. "I like you, but you have to get in line. We get to kick his ass for getting shot first, you can kick what's left."


End file.
